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Dead Reynolds at Camden’s Black Heart

Last November, the alt-rock five-piece toured the UK in support of their debut single Dust.

Dead Reynolds is a new project brings together former members of Phoenix Calling and The First, who have previously gained support from Kerrang! Magazine, Kerrang! Radio and Rock Sound. Just a few weeks ago, they headed out on their first ever UK tour which included a date at Camden’s Black Heart. Support on the night came from Katie MF, Dishy Tangent and Tom Lumley.

With Fight Dead Reynolds kicked off their forty-ish minute set on a cold Wednesday evening. It wasn’t long before we forgot about the single-digit temperatures outside and got sucked into the charm of their sound. The beginning of their set, in fact, the whole of their set showed that Dead Reynolds have come with a purpose. The purpose being to deliver you a stellar alt-rock performance. And tracks like Glory or Roof Down are among the tracks that made this happen.

Bassist Ben Knowles suffered a cramp in his hand half way through the set “Do we have any first aiders in the house? Could someone give him CPR for his cramp?” singer Callum Waterfield joked with the crowd before launching into the second half of their performance.

Their recent single Dust is sounding big in this small room that evening. With an amazing, fast-paced bridge and anthemic chorus, Dust is a powerful introduction to the band if you’ve not heard them before. It sees the members of Dead Reynolds combine the strengths from their previous projects, delivering heartfelt and striking alt-rock.

Guitarist/vocalist Dominic Greenwood has said of the single: “Dust is about one person’s struggle with the feeling that the world is against them but knowing who they can depend on when the chips are down, having doors closed in their face and going back to the place where they feel like they belong, but still don’t really fit. Ultimately everything turns to ‘Dust’, so the song is about a journey and the feeling that we all just fly. There are references to the disbelief in religion after the loss of someone. I think this will be a firm favourite live.”

And we agree – it sounds fantastic live! Second to last song Traces has a bit more of a pop-punk vibe and is followed by Pieces – their new single off a new EP which is set for release in March.

As with all new bands, there may be a few edges to smooth out here and there, but Dead Reynolds are without a doubt headed for big things in 2019.